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We got a cold email from an associate after he saw an article, talked a bit more over email, then set a time to meet. The meeting went well but we're fairly early so I didn't sweat it. Then we got a call back for a meeting with Vinod a couple weeks later - great.

Vinod was direct and moves quickly (like the speed of dialogue in West Wing - you had better keep up), but he was quite respectful. I hate talking to VCs that just sit there on their phones and only half listen, but Vinod actually engaged with us. Yes, there were some tough questions... but I would be more concerned if there were just a bunch of softballs. There are comments on here about Vinod being an ass, but we certainly did not experience that. Even if we had, I'm not looking for a friend. I'm looking for someone that will write a small check now so I can write them a really fucking big check in 5-10 years. In the meantime, I expect them to ask difficult questions, challenge me and my company to do better, and help out with whatever skills and non-monetary resources they can.

I'm not sure what, if anything, will come from this but I had as good of an experience as I could have expected. Obviously, I'd love to get a term sheet or another meeting, like, yesterday. So far they seem to move on the same timeline as other VCs we've talked with - unless you're doing a hot round, it can just take some time. The staff and associates we've talked to are all very professional and seem easy to work with - bodes well if we do move forward.

On Tuesday December 13th, we will host an online "Female Founder Demo Day" event, where five up-and-coming female-led FI startups from across the globe will present their businesses to top investors for feedback.